How to build your team’s cultural intelligence- practical actions for L&D teams

How do you turn cultural intelligence from a concept into everyday practice? In this blog, we speak with leading experts who share practical ways L&D teams can build cultural capability through formal training, coaching and learning in the flow of work. 

 

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Can you really develop skills in cultural intelligence? 

According to the experts, yes. But it takes more than a training session. Unlike knowledge-based learning, cultural intelligence (CQ) is a long-term capability that shapes how people think, interact and lead in multicultural settings. It develops through practice, reflection and support. And it doesn’t happen by accident. 

In conversations with cultural intelligence experts Craig Shim, Intercultural Consultant and Founder of Alphacrane; Lucy Butters, Intercultural Strategist and Founder of Elembee; and Tamerlaine Beasley, Founder and CEO of Beasley Intercultural, one message stood out. CQ isn’t a final goal. It’s an ongoing approach that helps organisations build trust, encourage innovation and work more effectively together. 

Supporting CQ goes beyond developing individual skills. L&D teams have a vital role in creating opportunities for people to build, apply and sustain cultural intelligence over time, through both formal and informal learning. This helps leaders and teams gain the confidence to collaborate more effectively across cultures. 

So how can you help your teams build it? Read on to discover three key areas where L&D can make a practical difference. 

1. Formal learning 

 Formal learning plays a key role in developing cultural intelligence, but it needs to go beyond simply raising awareness and developing knowledge. For L&D teams, the real opportunity lies in creating learning experiences that spark curiosity, encourage reflection and lead to meaningful behaviour change. 

Lucy highlights four core capabilities that underpin CQ: the motivation to connect across cultures, knowledge of how cultures differ, the ability to reflect before reacting and the flexibility to adapt. Group sessions can be especially effective. As Tamerlaine explains, when people come together to explore culture in a safe, structured environment, something important happens: ‘People will often learn about their colleagues in ways they haven’t before. They discover the incredible untapped resource of the diversity in their organisation.’ In fact, 78% of our online learners rated international and multicultural classroom settings as important or very important, highlighting just how much people value diverse learning environments. 

As Craig puts it, ‘There needs to be a safe space where people can ask questions and even make mistakes without fear of being judged.’ It’s this kind of environment that helps learning stick. L&D teams can support this by designing sessions that include discussion, role play and realistic scenarios. Adding simple prompts like ‘What perspectives might I be missing?’ or ‘How could someone interpret this differently?’ encourages people to pause and think before they act. Let’s not forget that CQ also starts at the top and the leadership approach will make a big difference too. When managers join in and show openness, curiosity and a willingness to learn, it sets the tone for the rest of the team. L&D can make this happen by involving leaders in training, helping them share their experiences and lead by example. 

It’s equally important to consider who delivers the learning. As Tamerlaine notes, ‘The people who are facilitating the learning experience need to be role modelling inclusive process.’ Cultural intelligence programmes need skilled facilitators who can build trust, challenge respectfully and avoid stereotyping. Poorly delivered sessions can do more harm than good, so training the trainers is essential.

2. Coaching and mentoring  

While formal learning sets the foundation, coaching and mentoring help people explore specific situations or challenges, test assumptions and grow with guidance.Tamerlaine notes that this kind of learning can be especially valuable for senior leaders, particularly in complex or high-stakes contexts like mergers, offshoring or global partnerships. In these situations, leaders may not feel comfortable raising questions or uncertainties in group settings. Coaching provides a safe space to think through cultural challenges, distinguish between personal and cultural dynamics and build the skills needed to lead inclusively. 

‘It’s really important that there’s a safe place where leaders can discuss what’s going on, get advice and support, and build their skills.’ 

This approach helps individuals unpack what’s cultural versus what’s personal, develop humility and avoid assumptions that their way is the default. 

For L&D teams, this might mean 

• Pairing team members with culturally diverse mentors or buddies 
• Including cultural intelligence in leadership coaching 
• Encouraging managers to build regular reflection into one-to-ones

3. Learning in the flow of work

What shapes cultural intelligence happens in the day-to-day. As Craig puts it, ‘It’s in the hallway conversations, the virtual calls, the moments between meetings where culture comes into play.’ For L&D teams, that’s a powerful opportunity. 

Here’s how to make the most of it: 

Curate resources that are easy to grab and go 

Think toolkits, templates, cheat sheets, things people can use in the moment. For example, a checklist for inclusive decision-making, or quick tips for navigating cultural differences in remote meetings. 

Bring learning into the tools people already use 

Drop microlearning modules, conversation prompts or useful links into Slack, Teams or your LMS. If someone’s about to write a performance review or lead a virtual meeting, offer timely nudges they can act on straight away. 

Spot the learning moments hiding in plain sight 

Work with managers to identify natural moments for learning – onboarding, client calls, cross-team projects and add light-touch support that reinforces inclusive behaviours. 

Create a culture of curiosity 

Help teams normalise questions like: What else could be true here? or How might someone from another culture see this? It’s not about having the ‘right’ answer, but about pausing long enough to notice other perspectives.  

Final thoughts